Partner Resources

Resources From Our Partner Centers

The CEEDAR Center partners with other national centers who also work to provide opportunities to learn for teachers and leaders. This page helps to show some aspects of their work that would be helpful to our users.

Teacher Education

AACTE

The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education

The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education is a national alliance of educator preparation programs dedicated to high-quality, evidence-based preparation that assures educators are ready to teach all learners on Day 1. Its over 800 member institutions represent public and private colleges and universities in every state, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Guam. AACTE seeks to lead the field in advocacy and capacity building by promoting innovation and effective practices as critical to reforming educator preparation. AACTE members are typically deans and department chairs.

Additional Resources

*edTPA is a performance assessment designed to examine the teaching practices of beginning teachers in each discipline, including special education and the arts. These assessments measure teachers’ abilities to teach content and address the individual needs of students. There are 27 assessments for the different disciplines.

State chapter support grant program provides an important vehicle for CEEDAR states to disseminate their program reforms and increase stakeholder buy in. AACTE has chapters in 45 states. Click here to contact a state chapter.

Holmes Program provides mentorship, peer support, and professional development opportunities for high school students, undergraduates, master’s and doctoral students

Topical Action Groups (TAGs): working groups of individuals who collaborate through online forums with support and funding from AACTE on a common interest or purpose within the field of teacher preparation. Current TAG working group topics are listed below:

AACTE could provide space for CEEDAR related meetings at state and national conferences

Production of data from AACTE PEDS, including demographics for states, colleges, programs and candidates (e.g., average GPA of persons entering a teacher education program).

AACTE resources can be helpful to CEEDAR states and IHEs engaged in educator reform. These resources can help states address issues around program alignment and collaboration as well as stakeholder buy in and communication.

NASDTEC

The National Association of State directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC)

The National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC)is an organization representing professional standards boards and commissions and state departments of education in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, the U.S. Territories, Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario that are responsible for the preparation, licensure, and discipline of educational personnel. NASDTEC aims to exercise leadership regarding the preparation and certification of professional school personnel. The organization promotes high standards for educators, teacher mobility across state lines, comprehensive personnel screening, and clearinghouse on teacher discipline. Membership includes associate commissioners that oversee teacher preparation and certification in state offices; 100 IHEs have associate memberships.

Database

*Educator Identification Clearinghouse: the only national database reporting all the discipline actions (i.e., certification/license denied or invalidated, annulled, revoked, suspended, and/or voluntarily surrendered) and the nature of the denial/invalidation. The reported action could range from violent felonies to sexual misconduct to illegal use of controlled substances; or from breach of contract to incompetence

The IRIS Center is a national leader supporting the increased use of evidence-based practices by educators to improve outcomes for all students, especially struggling learners and those with disabilities.

Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO)

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is a nationwide, nonpartisan, and nonprofit membership organization. The members are committed to creating a public education system that prepares every child for lifelong learning, work, and citizenship. CCSSO’s promise is to lead chiefs and their organizations in this effort by focusing on those state-driven leverage points that are uniquely positioned to address and, through decisive leadership and collective state action, increase their capacity to produce students ready to succeed as productive members of society.

NASDSE operates for the purpose of providing services to state agencies to facilitate their efforts to maximize educational outcomes for individuals with disabilities. NASDSE’s members include the state directors of special education or other persons designated by their state education agency who have specific responsibility for directing, coordinating or supervising programs and services for the education of students with disabilities. NASDSE’s members include the state directors of special education in the states, the U.S. territories, the Department of Defense Education Agency and the Freely Associated States (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Marshall Islands, Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia).

The IDEA Partnership brought special and general education partners together to impact fundamental changes by working with stakeholders on shared issues and concerns. This work is now subsumed under the new National Center for Systemic Improvement.

*Opportunities to communicate with special education directors across the states

Communication blasts

Surveys conducted on behalf of policy makers, state directors and others to address current issues related to state policies and practices

Multi-Tier System of Supports (MTSS): NASDE has worked collaboratively with the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) to develop three Blueprints for promoting Response to Intervention (RtI). These documents provide implementation guidelines and resources for experienced people to implement RtI initiatives at state, district, and school building level. NASDE has also compiled a book “Rti Research for Practice”, an annotated bibliography on research about RtI.

National Governor’s Association (NGA)

The NGA is a bipartisan public policy organization through which governors identify priority issues, share best practices, speak with a collective voice on public policy and governance issues at the state and national levels, and develop innovative solutions to improve state government and support the principles of federalism.

The NGA Center for Best Practices provides governors information they need to make policy decisions. The Federal Relations Office ensures the governors’ views are represented in shaping federal policy. Staff at the NGA provide services to governors’ offices and support other state entities at the behest of the governor.

Technical assistance to states and territories on issues related to the education pipeline from early care and education through K-12 to postsecondary and workforce

Specific projects related to timely needs of governors and their staff, including for example efforts to raise standards, improve teacher and principal preparation, expand the academic focus of early learning opportunities, expand access to early care and education, build stronger workforce pipelines, and strengthen accountability for postsecondary programs.

Engagement of NGA experts to offer insight into best practices and recommended courses of action related to education policy and practice

The Council for Exceptional Children

The Council for Exceptional Children is an international community of professionals who are the voice and vision of special and gifted education. CEC provides expertise and leadership, and works collaboratively with strategic partners to ensure that children and youth with exceptionalities are valued and full participating members of society.

Issue Briefs: Promoting Access & Achievement for Children and Youth with Exceptionalities in PK-12 Education; School Climate and Mental Health; Preparing Future Educators to Meet the Needs of Children with Disabilities Special Education Research & Development: Supporting Educational Excellence for Children & Youth with Disabilities

TASH

TASH is the go-to resource for the education of students with the most significant impact of disability and complex support needs. The mission of TASH is to promote the full inclusion and participation of children and adults with severe disabilities in every aspect of their community and to eliminate the social injustices that diminish human rights. TASH was founded by education researchers and all inclusive practices advanced by TASH are evidence-based.

University Council for Educational Administrators (UCEA)

University Council for Educational Administrators (UCEA) is a consortium of higher education institutions committed to advancing the preparation and practice of education leaders for the benefit of schools and children. To accomplish its mission, UCEA promotes, sponsors, and disseminates research on the essential problems of practice; improves the preparation and professional development of school leaders and professors; and influences policy and practice through establishing and fostering collaborative networks.

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Disclaimer

This website was produced under U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, Award No. H325A170003. David Guardino serves as the project officer. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the positions or polices of the U.S. Department of Education. No official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any product, commodity, service, or enterprise mentioned in this website is intended or should be inferred.